Hundreds have gathered tonight in Columbus Ohio and across U.S. for memorial for Leelah Alcorn. #StandUp4Leelah pic.twitter.com/ahhH2HMbYB— The Task Force (@TheTaskForce) January 3, 2015
Dan Savage On The Death Of Transgender Teen Leelah Alcorn
In the aftermath of Ohio transgender teen Leelah Alcorn’s suicide, the LGBT community has rallied in her memory.
And none more fervently than Dan Savage, who calls for criminal charges to be brought against the teen’s parents:
If Tyler Clemente’s roommate could be prosecuted—and he was—then the parents of #LeelahAlcorn can & should be: http://t.co/VC1W4wCQ7k
— Dan Savage (@fakedansavage) December 31, 2014
#LeelahAlcorn‘s parents threw her in front of that truck. They should be ashamed—but 1st they need to be shamed. Charges should be brought.
— Dan Savage (@fakedansavage) December 31, 2014
.@samueloakford What charges? Child abuse. Neglect. Reckless endangerment. Manslaughter. #LeelahAlcorn
— Dan Savage (@fakedansavage) December 31, 2014
We know that parental hostility & rejection doubles a queer kid’s already quadrupled risk of suicide—rejecting your queer kid is abuse.
— Dan Savage (@fakedansavage) December 31, 2014
Speaking to CNN, Leelah’s mother Carla Alcorn said, “We told him that we loved him unconditionally. We loved him no matter what. I loved my son. People need to know that I loved him. He was a good kid, a good boy.”
Ohio: 17 Year Old Transgender Teenager Commits Suicide, Leaves Heartbreaking Suicide Note
Very sad to read the story of Leelah Alcorn, a 17 year old transgender teenager who committed suicide this past Sunday morning by walking in front of a tractor trailer on the highway.
Leelah struggled with her parents reaction to her coming to the realization that she was trans.
From her suicide note which appeared on her Tumblr account hours after she died:
If you are reading this, it means that I have committed suicide and obviously failed to delete this post from my queue.
Please don’t be sad, it’s for the better. The life I would’ve lived isn’t worth living in… because I’m transgender. I could go into detail explaining why I feel that way, but this note is probably going to be lengthy enough as it is. To put it simply, I feel like a girl trapped in a boy’s body, and I’ve felt that way ever since I was 4. I never knew there was a word for that feeling, nor was it possible for a boy to become a girl, so I never told anyone and I just continued to do traditionally “boyish” things to try to fit in.
When I was 14, I learned what transgender meant and cried of happiness. After 10 years of confusion I finally understood who I was. I immediately told my mom, and she reacted extremely negatively, telling me that it was a phase, that I would never truly be a girl, that God doesn’t make mistakes, that I am wrong. If you are reading this, parents, please don’t tell this to your kids. Even if you are Christian or are against transgender people don’t ever say that to someone, especially your kid. That won’t do anything but make them hate them self. That’s exactly what it did to me.
[snip]
My death needs to mean something. My death needs to be counted in the number of transgender people who commit suicide this year. I want someone to look at that number and say “that’s fucked up” and fix it. Fix society. Please.
Goodbye,
(Leelah) Josh Alcorn
In a follow-up post, Leelah apologized to friends and family but had this to say her parents:
Mom and Dad: Fuck you. You can’t just control other people like that. That’s messed up.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or depression there are resources for help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
Department Of Justice Says Title VII Bans Workplace Discrimination Against Transgender People
According to a memo released by US Attorney General Eric Holder, the Department of Justice will now interpret Title VII of the Civil Rights Act as explicitly prohibiting workplace discrimination against transgender people.
The AP reports that “in defending lawsuits, the federal government also will no longer take the position that Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act, which bans sex discrimination, does not protect against workplace discrimination on the basis of gender status.”
Today Is Transgender Day of Remembrance
November 20th marks the annual worldwide observance of the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), a memorial to the many people lost to anti-transgender violence.
This is a day to pause and remember lives lost this year due to anti-transgender violence.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the first TDOR, held in remembrance of Rita Hester, a trans woman of color whose life was cut tragically short in 1999.
ThinkProgress offers these five fast facts about what transgender people experience in society:
• There were 226 transgender people murdered in the past year worldwide, but those are only the known reported incidents.
• In 2013, 72 percent of all anti-LGBTQ homicide victims were transgender women; 67 percent were specifically transgender women of color.
• 41 percent of transgender people have attempted suicide, compared to 4.6 percent of the general population, and studies suggest that rampant discrimination is responsible for the disparity.
• 55 percent of students have experienced verbal harassment in school because of their gender expression; 23 percent have experienced physical harassment.
• Transgender people are twice as likely to be currently homeless, twice as likely to be unemployed, and four times as likely to be living in poverty.
I realize that the idea and understanding of transgender people is new to many, as the media is just now giving attention to trans folks. At the end of the day, what’s important to stress is that TDOR is about expressing all of who we are without apology.
News round-up: Week of September 13, 2014
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| Dan Osborne gets naked with the men of Dreamboys |
Some stories you may have missed:
• Dan Osborne dances all the way down to naked with the UK male revue The Dreamboys
• George Zimmerman is back, and allegedly threatening to shoot and kill a driver he didn’t like.
• A class of commonly-used drugs like Valium and Xanax could raise risk of Alzheimers by up to 51%
• A Wales man was doused with gasoline and blinded in one eye in anti-gay attack
•Transgender high school student named Homecoming Princess in Colorado Springs, CO
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| Dan Osborne with the cast of Dreamboys |
New Jersey school will allow transgender student to enroll
Recently, 13 year old transgender Rachel Pepe was told she could not attend school this fall as a female.
Rachel had previously attended school as a male, but when her mother informed Thorne Middle School that “Brian” was now Rachel, the school balked. Rachel’s mother, Angela Peters, was told Rachel would attend as “Brian” or not at all. And, the would be no assistance provided in finding an alternative school.
From Huffington Post:
“He was going to school last year as Brian,” Angela Peters, Rachel’s mother, told the outlet, adding that her daughter had been suffering from depression. “How can I send her back as Rachel? And I am not sending her back as Brian because the depression will start again.”
On Monday evening, however, the superintendent of the school district, William O. George, said he would work with staff to make sure Rachel could attend school in a safe environment. According to Garden State Equality, George said Middletown Township Public Schools staff would undergo lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender sensitivity training.
“We applaud Superintendent George for taking the right steps to affirm the health and safety of students,” GSE Executive Director Andrea Bowen said in a statement. “This is a victory for transgender students everywhere. This Middletown student and students like her are heroes for standing up for their needs. We’re excited that the community came together in dialogue to bring this situation to a happy resolution.”
In recent months, the U.S. Department of Education issued new guidance that Title IX, the federal legislation that prohibits sex discrimination, protects transgender students.
Debi Jackson, mother of transgender daughter, debunks myths about trans children
Debi Jackson, mother of a transgender daughter, explains her coming growing awareness of her daughter’s transitioning and debunks myths about transgender children she learned along the way.
Via the Advocate:
“We — or at least I, because they always blame the mom — really wanted a girl so we turned our child into one?” Jackson asks. “Think again. I desperately wanted boys. The idea of raising a girl in today’s world scares me to death.”
“‘Kids have no idea what they want; my kid wants to be a dog, should I let him?'” asks Jackson, reciting another antitrans red herring. “That’s up to you, but I wouldn’t! …There’s a profound difference between wanting to be something in imaginary play and declaring who you are insistently, consistently, and persistently.”
Jackson became emotional as she recounted the religious-based opposition to her daughter, recalling people who told her, “God hates transgender people. They are sinners, and going to hell.”
“My God taught us to love one another,” Jackson explains. “Jesus sought out those who others rejected. Some people choose to embrace Biblical verses that appear to say that transgender people are being wrong,” Jackson adds.
Instead, Jackson says she prefers to focus on biblical verses like 1 Samuel 16:7, which says, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
In closing her six-minute speech, Jackson offers a heartwarming affirmation of her daughter. “My daughter is a girl in her heart,” says Jackson. “She knows it, God knows it, and that’s good enough for me.”
I know that the idea of transgender is new and uncomfortable for many folks. But, it is real. And these are people’s lives. Hit the video below and listen to the calm, clear voice of a conservative, Southern Baptist mother who learned a lot by paying attention to her child.
p.s. grab a tissue.
Nevada: Openly transgender candidate wins GOP primary for state Assembly
Openly transgender candidate Lauren Scott won the Republican primary election for Nevada Assembly District 30 last night, beating out Adam Khan, who have been endorsed by the Nevada Republican Assembly (NVRA).
Scott has been endorsed by Governor Brian Sandoval.
Nevada Assembly District 30 has a slight Democrat voter advantage but a moderate GOP candidate has an opportunity to win the general election in a year with low voter turnout.
(via press release)
Trans men Ty and Landon celebrate Pride with parents on “Our America”
On this week’s episode of Our America on the OWN Channel, Lisa Ling revisits Ty and Landon – two transgender men – three years after documenting their journey from female to male.
In the episode, Ty recalls the first time he attended a gay pride parade. “Maybe one day my family will come to this,” he said.
Kim struggled with the loss of her daughter, Tanya, as she transitioned into Ty. Now, at the San Francisco Pride Parade, Kim tells her son how happy she is for him and how his journey inspired her to change her life for the better:
“You’ve always known who you are and who you wanted to be. And just in the last three years, the man that you have become, that’s why I’ve quit my job and gone back to school. You have inspired me so much.”
Learn more about the two men’s journeys at oprah.com.
